Antigen Presentation: Basic Biology and Applications to Autoimmune Disease is the first ACR Basic Research Conference designed to establish a new scientific symposium series merging basic science and experimentation directly relevant to disease. In the first meeting, investigators studying the genetics, biochemistry and cell biology of antigen processing and presentation will be brought together with leading investigators employing antigen presentation/recognition systems to understand human diseases and animal models, with emphasis on autoimmune diseases such as those involving arthritis. Session I (Chair, Peter Cresswell) will address basic aspects of antigen processing and presentation; Session II (Chair, Don Wiley) will examine the structural biology of antigen presentation and TCR recognition; Session III (Chair, Michael Brenner) will elucidate the role of non MHC antigen presenting molecules (CD1) and gammadelta T cells; and Sessions IV and V (Chairs, Jerry Nepon and Hugh McDevitt) will provide the most recent studies on the mechanisms of autoimmune diseases mediated by specific antigens, particular antigen presenting molecules and pathogenic T cell receptors. The biologic basis of antigen presentation will be merged with the binding specificity of self-peptides and the development of autoreactive TCR repertoires as they relate to the genetics of susceptibility and the mechanisms of autoimmunity. This new conference series will further bridge communication between basic and clinical investigators. The invited speakers are leaders in their fields and conferees will be limited to 250, selected based on submitted abstracts, to assure high level discussions between a mix of basic and clinical investigators.